June 25 marks the 111th birthday of novelist George Orwell, best known for his dystopian masterpiece 1984. Dystopian books such as Orwell’s explore social and political structures within an often dehumanized, doomed society. We asked three fiction writers for the key elements of a good dystopian story.

Song lyrics combine the poetry form with a story narrative and the confessional elements of a personal essay. These award-winning lyricists share the principles of good songwriting, which have application across all genres.